Baghdad: The University of Technology held talks on Saturday with Spain’s universities of Seville and Granada on expanding academic and research partnerships and strengthening international scientific cooperation. The discussions also covered activating academic mobility programmes, exchanging students and faculty members, and implementing joint research projects.
According to Iraqi News Agency, the university stated that its president, Mohsen Nouri Hamza, discussed prospects for expanding academic and research cooperation and strengthening international scientific partnerships during visits to the universities of Seville and Granada at the head of a university delegation. The visits were part of the university’s efforts to engage with international academic institutions and develop its scientific and research ties.
The statement highlighted that the visits included meetings with officials from both universities to discuss developing scientific and research cooperation, exchanging expertise and academic visits involving professors, researchers, and students, and activating academic mobility programmes. Furthermore, the discussions covered the possibility of hosting postgraduate students from the University of Technology to conduct parts of their research and benefit from the advanced laboratory and research facilities at the two Spanish universities.
The president of the University of Technology also met with the president of the University of Granada, Pedro Mercado Pacheco. The two sides explored ways to expand academic and scientific cooperation, strengthen research partnerships, and activate exchange and academic mobility programmes. A draft comprehensive cooperation agreement (Global Agreement) was discussed, aiming to provide a broader institutional framework for collaboration between the two universities.
Additionally, the visit to the University of Granada included meetings with several officials, such as Director of International Projects and Networks Irene Pedreira Romero and Director of Internationalisation at the International School for Postgraduate Studies Leandro Di Stasi. These discussions focused on mechanisms to develop scientific and academic cooperation, strengthen joint research projects, and explore opportunities for collaboration under the Erasmus+ programme to support student and faculty exchanges and joint projects.
In the University of Seville, the talks addressed cooperation opportunities in fields such as energy, sustainability, renewable energy, the development of catalysts and advanced materials, structural engineering, and sustainable architectural design. Discussions also included forming joint research teams and implementing scientific projects to promote innovation and support sustainable development.
The delegation from the University of Technology included Abbas Ali Hamza, dean of the College of Architectural Engineering; Ghassan Abdul Hussein Bilal, dean of the College of Electromechanical Engineering; Mohammed Al-Zuhairi, a faculty member at the College of Materials Engineering; and Sundus Samir Juma, a faculty member at the College of Electromechanical Engineering.
Overall, the university emphasized that these visits are part of its broader strategy to expand its international academic presence, open new avenues for cooperation in higher education, scientific research, and academic mobility, and leverage the expertise and scientific capabilities of Spanish universities. This initiative is expected to contribute to the development of academic and research programmes and the establishment of sustainable institutional partnerships.